Frequently Asked Questions

For financial aid budgets for the UC San Diego School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Atkinson Physician Assistant Education Program, go to Cost of Attendance & Budget.

Budgets must be constructed using average costs for all students living in the same type of housing such as on/off-campus or living with family. Students who find that they are paying higher than the average amount for a particular component of the budget such as rent, can still live within the "standard financial aid budget" by spending less on another part of the budget.

The average indebtedness for the graduating medical school class of 2024 (including pre-matriculation debt) was $171,017. The average indebtedness for the graduating pharmacy school class of 2024 (including pre-matriculation debt) was $144,287. The average indebtedness for the Atkinson Physician Assistant Education program is to be determined after this first cohort completes their program All students are encouraged to budget realistically and borrow responsibly in order to minimize the amount of debt they incur.

For more information on medical and pharmacy school debt, go to Debt Management.

In order to access the UC San Diego Health Sciences Financial Aid Application, an applicant must have accepted the school's offer of admissions. All applicants can have their FAFSA information transmitted to the school, by listing the school's federal code number of 001317 on the FAFSA.

In order to access the UC San Diego Health Sciences Financial Aid Application, an applicant must have accepted the school's offer of admissions. In approximately mid-March of each year, the Financial Aid Office informs all currently enrolled students, that the financial aid application is available and can be accessed and submitted through their Health Sciences Financial Aid Portal account. Entering medical and pharmacy students who have accepted the school's offer of admissions will receive instructions on how to access the financial aid application from their respective Admissions Offices.

The deadline for applying for financial aid is usually in early-mid May. Entering medical and pharmacy students who are accepted less than 4 weeks before the deadline, may submit the application 4 weeks after they have accepted the school's offer of admissions.

Students are eligible to receive up to the full amount of the standard budget in some form of financial aid. The type of aid that will be available will depend on the student's Family Strength Index determined upon submission of their initial application and FAFSA, as well as the availability of funding at that time. Students from the neediest financial situations will receive school-based grants, scholarships and loans, while students from less needy situations will generally be eligible for outside loan support only. All students are encouraged to apply for outside scholarship aid (scholarships they find on their own), in order to reduce the amount of debt they will incur while attending school.

If your actual educational expenses exceed the standard Cost of Attendance, you may request a budget increase for certain reasonable and necessary expenses. These may include excessive rent (if unavoidable and within reason), required educational technology, medical, dental, or vision expenses not covered by insurance, transportation costs directly related to your education, and child care expenses. All requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis in accordance with federal financial aid regulations. Contact our office to learn more about eligibility and required documentation.

Students who are interested in applying for the limited school-based grants, scholarships and low-interest loans must submit their parents' financial information in order to establish their eligibility for this type of aid. Married students must submit their spouse's financial information as well. For Pharmacy students who are over 30 years of age, no parent information is required.

The only exception would be where both parents are deceased or where the student can document a long-term situation of estrangement. Please note that many professional school financial aid offices have this same policy because funding is very limited, and must go to those students who do not have family resources to fall back on.

If your parents are divorced or separated, the parent who provides the greater portion of the student’s financial support, even if the student does not live with them should complete the parents' sections of the UC San Diego Health Sciences Financial Aid Application and FAFSA. In order to ensure that we are getting the most complete picture of your financial support, we will also ask that your other parent complete a one-page summary of their financial situation, which will be sent to you at a later point in the review process.

We usually recommend that a student submit the parents' information at least once, in order to determine if they are eligible for school-based grants, scholarships and loans.

Yes, as a graduate/professional student, you are automatically considered independent for purposes of determining Title IV Federal student aid eligibility, even if your parents claim you on their Federal income tax return.

Students may request a re-evaluation of their UC San Diego financial aid award through the Professional Judgment (PJ) process only in the event of significant, documented changes in circumstances. Requests that do not meet these criteria may not be eligible for review. To determine if their situation qualifies for an appeal, students should first contact the Health Sciences Financial Aid Office (HSFAO) via email. A counselor will assess the circumstances and provide further instructions if an appeal is appropriate. Once the necessary forms and documentation are submitted, the financial aid office will review the materials and notify the student of the outcome. Final decisions are made at the discretion of the UC San Diego Health Sciences Financial Aid Office leadership, and all decisions are final.

Students seeking to be classified residents for tuition purposes upon admission must be able to provide evidence of having established residence in California for more than one year immediately preceding the residence determination date of the term for which such classification is sought, and must have relinquished any prior residence. *For further clarification of residence requirements, contact the Residency Deputy in the UC San Diego Main Campus Registrar's Office. Students are cautioned that this summation is not a complete explanation of the law regarding residence.

* PHYSICAL PRESENCE WITHIN THE STATE SOLELY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CALIFORNIA RESIDENCE FOR TUITION PURPOSES REGARDLESS OF THE LENGTH OF STAY IN CALIFORNIA.

The Title IV code for UC San Diego Health Sciences is 001317.

No, but you do need to complete the student sections of the FAFSA online, as well as the Federal Direct Loan Request Form, so we will know how much you want to borrow.

We will contact you for any missing information as we review your application. Otherwise, you can assume that your application is complete.

You should check your SAR to make sure that all of the information is correct, and to respond to any direction from the Federal Processor such as the requirement to submit documentation of your U.S. citizenship to the Financial Aid Office. If you need to correct any of the information, you can do this by making corrections on the SAR and returning it to the Federal Processor, or making these corrections online.

Financial Aid Award Letters are usually available in early August. Entering students who are trying to decide which school they will attend may call the Financial Aid Office to determine if an estimated award may be derived from the information they have submitted.

No, this award is available only to undergraduate students.

The difference between the total amount of scholarship, fellowship and grant awards you receive during the tax year and your required fees, books and supplies is reportable as income on your Federal tax return. Whether or not you have to pay tax, will depend on your level of income. Students should keep documentation of the cost of their fees, books and supplies in case they are later audited by the IRS.

Students who have paid fees in excess of their scholarships, grants and fellowships, may be eligible to receive a tax credit for this out-of-pocket expense. In January of each year, the UC Tax Reporting Service sends a 1098-T form to all students who paid fees during the previous calendar year, listing the student's qualified educational expenses (fees), as well as all grants, scholarships, fellowships, traineeships, stipends, outside scholarships, tuition or fee waivers, exemptions, etc. This 1098-T may be used to prepare the IRS Form 8863 which must be completed in order to claim a federal tax credit.

Students with questions on their UC 1098-T Form should contact the UC Tax Reporting Service at (877) 467-3821, or visit http://1098tforms.com.

Students who need further information on preparing their income tax returns, should contact a personal tax advisor or call the IRS at 800-829-1040.

In addition to school-based grant, scholarships and loans, students may be eligible for outside scholarships (applied for outside of the Financial Aid Office), as well as Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans, Grad PLUS Loans, and outside Alternative Bank Loans.

The Federal Direct Loans as well as the school-based grants, scholarships and loans are disbursed in three or four installments corresponding to the beginning of the quarterly enrollment periods. The financial aid disbursements are credited to the student's University account and offset any charges on the account such as fees, on-campus housing, parking fees, library fines, etc. If the remaining balance is positive, the student will receive either a financial aid remainder check or, if they have signed up for direct deposit with the Student Financial Solutions (SFS) Office, a direct deposit to their own bank account. Students who have a remaining negative balance, will receive an e-bill from the SFS Office which requires them to pay the remaining balance at the Cashier's Office. Students may also apply for e-check in order to have their bill paid by an electronic funds transfer (EFT) from their bank account to their University account.

If a student needs additional funds to live on until the financial aid funds are credited to their account, they may apply for an emergency loan at the UC San Diego Health Sciences Financial Aid Office. If the delay in receiving the funds was unavoidable on the part of the student, there will be no charge for this loan. Entering students may not receive any financial aid funds or emergency loan funds until the first day of classes.

Yes, a student must re-establish eligibility for aid on an annual basis.

Access the Health Sciences TritonLink.

These instructions (PDF) will help you navigate the TritonLink portal.

It is important that you become familiar with the length of the grace period on each of your loans so you will know what to expect if you have a change in your enrollment status. The Federal Direct Loan has a 6-month grace period during which loan payments are not due and no interest will accrue if the loan is subsidized. Note that you can no longer apply for Subsidized Direct Loans. If the entire 6-month grace period is used up during a period of non-enrollment or leave of absence, a new grace period will not be available when the student finally graduates. However, if only part of the grace period is used up before re-enrollment, then the student will regain the entirety of their grace period upon graduation.

The UC San Diego Health Sciences University Loan has a 9-month grace period and the Loan for Disadvantaged Students has a 12-month grace period. Alternative Loans have varying lengths of grace period, if any, and you should review your Alternative Loan Promissory Note to determine the terms of your specific loan.

Yes, it is necessary for all students receiving financial aid to report to the Health Sciences Financial Aid Office any outside agency gifts, scholarships, loans or other income received. Failure to report additional support is considered "fraud" by the Federal government and may have serious ramifications in terms of your financial aid eligibility.

It is also necessary to report any change in marital status immediately.

You may obtain a listing of all of your Federal student loans from the National Student Loan Data Service (NSLDS) by using your FSA ID to access the information. For institutional loans, such as the UC San Diego University Loan, you can visit the ECSI Heartland website.

If you have questions about the terms of your UC San Diego Health Sciences financial aid awards, please refer to our brochures under the Publications section of Resources & Forms.